Superbugs could kill millions by 2050, study shows

A growing threat

A growing threat, A 2024 study forecasted 39 million deaths by 2050, Recent aid cuts are to blame, Aid cuts in line with the most pessimistic scenario, An economic burden, Almost 6 billion a year, Shrinking workforce, An urgent need to invest in tackling superbugs, Policy changes

A UK government-funded study shows that without concerted action, superbugs could cause millions of more people to die worldwide than previously thought, according to an exclusive article in ‘The Guardian’.

A 2024 study forecasted 39 million deaths by 2050

A growing threat, A 2024 study forecasted 39 million deaths by 2050, Recent aid cuts are to blame, Aid cuts in line with the most pessimistic scenario, An economic burden, Almost 6 billion a year, Shrinking workforce, An urgent need to invest in tackling superbugs, Policy changes

In September 2024, a study on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), predicted that superbugs could kill around 39 million people worldwide by 2050, per Euronews.

Recent aid cuts are to blame

A growing threat, A 2024 study forecasted 39 million deaths by 2050, Recent aid cuts are to blame, Aid cuts in line with the most pessimistic scenario, An economic burden, Almost 6 billion a year, Shrinking workforce, An urgent need to invest in tackling superbugs, Policy changes

But this new study by the Center of Global Development shows that recent aid cuts in the US, UK, and Europe could result “in millions more people dying worldwide, including across G7 nations,” Anthony McDonell, the lead author of the study, explained.

Aid cuts in line with the most pessimistic scenario

A growing threat, A 2024 study forecasted 39 million deaths by 2050, Recent aid cuts are to blame, Aid cuts in line with the most pessimistic scenario, An economic burden, Almost 6 billion a year, Shrinking workforce, An urgent need to invest in tackling superbugs, Policy changes

“Sudden cuts to Official Development Assistance by the US, which has cut its aid spend by roughly 80%; the UK, which has announced aid cuts from 0.5% to 0.3% of gross national income; and substantial reductions by France, Germany, and others, could drive up resistance rates in line with the most pessimistic scenario in our research,” McDonell added.

An economic burden

A growing threat, A 2024 study forecasted 39 million deaths by 2050, Recent aid cuts are to blame, Aid cuts in line with the most pessimistic scenario, An economic burden, Almost 6 billion a year, Shrinking workforce, An urgent need to invest in tackling superbugs, Policy changes

The research, which calculated the economic and health burden of antibiotic resistance for 122 countries, also showed that superbugs could cost the global economy just under $2tn a year by 2050.

Almost $176 billion a year

A growing threat, A 2024 study forecasted 39 million deaths by 2050, Recent aid cuts are to blame, Aid cuts in line with the most pessimistic scenario, An economic burden, Almost 6 billion a year, Shrinking workforce, An urgent need to invest in tackling superbugs, Policy changes

Moreover, the study estimates that the global health costs of treating AMR could rise by just under $176bn a year, while in the UK, they would rise from $900m to $3.7bn, and in the US from $15.5bn to just under $57bn.

Shrinking workforce

A growing threat, A 2024 study forecasted 39 million deaths by 2050, Recent aid cuts are to blame, Aid cuts in line with the most pessimistic scenario, An economic burden, Almost 6 billion a year, Shrinking workforce, An urgent need to invest in tackling superbugs, Policy changes

Higher rates of resistant bugs would also shrink the UK, EU, and US workforces by 0.8%, 0.6% and 0.4% respectively, researchers found.

An urgent need to invest in tackling superbugs

A growing threat, A 2024 study forecasted 39 million deaths by 2050, Recent aid cuts are to blame, Aid cuts in line with the most pessimistic scenario, An economic burden, Almost 6 billion a year, Shrinking workforce, An urgent need to invest in tackling superbugs, Policy changes

The good news is, there is a way to turn this around, experts say. If countries invest more in tackling superbugs, increasing access to new antibiotics and high-quality treatment of these infections, the US economy would grow $156.2bn a year and the UK $12bn (£9.3bn) by 2050.

Policy changes

A growing threat, A 2024 study forecasted 39 million deaths by 2050, Recent aid cuts are to blame, Aid cuts in line with the most pessimistic scenario, An economic burden, Almost 6 billion a year, Shrinking workforce, An urgent need to invest in tackling superbugs, Policy changes

We would need policy changes from the US, European, and UK governments, the development of new drugs and ensuring everyone understood that antibiotics were ineffective against viruses, Dr Mohsen Naghavi, a professor of health metrics told ‘The Guardian’.

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